


Pretty Little Head

by Lady_Amarant



Series: O You Sinners [1]
Category: Slayers (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-03
Updated: 2014-08-03
Packaged: 2018-02-11 15:32:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,468
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2073513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lady_Amarant/pseuds/Lady_Amarant
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Xellos has a proposal, and there's more to it than Zelgadis thought.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pretty Little Head

**Author's Note:**

> Hopefully this will be a series of short stories based on Eliza Rickman's album _O, You Sinners._ This one is based on "Pretty Little Head," which has also been used as the weather on episode 45 of Welcome to Night Vale, "A Story About Them."
> 
> While I am canon reviewing, I just heard about Evo/Revo. Oops. So this uh. Takes place after TRY.

Another disappointment. If Xellos burned up the manuscript in his hands, it would be too good for it. A surge of rage made his hands tighten, and Zelgadis set the papers down very carefully. Taking his anger about another wild goose chase out on something that just turned into scraps wasn’t very satisfying. He already knew that. But if he were to swing his sword...

It would end right at a familiar Mazoku’s smiling face. Another spike of anger ran through him at just the sight of Xellos floating before him. He held the point at Xellos’s nose, battling the new wave of rage paralyzing his voice. “What do you want?” he finally ground out around strangled vocal cords, watching the grin grow only wider.

”Maa... I just wanted to see how you were doing!” The amusement on his face grew as Zelgadis’s irritation did. The urge to run him through was strong, but it wouldn’t solve anything. Slowly, he lowered his sword, still glaring at the Mazoku.

”That’s not the only reason.” Xellos never just “wanted to see” how someone was doing. “There was nothing in those manuscripts that would interest you.”

Xellos tsked, holding up one finger. “I wouldn’t say that, Zelgadis-san! There could be much in there I would need to know.” Despite his words, he didn’t make a move towards the papers. Instead, he leaned in too close, forcing Zelgadis to step back out of Xellos’s space. “But I have a far more interesting prospect in front of me.”

Of course. If it wasn’t Lina Inverse playing his favorite toy, it would be Zelgadis Greywords. “You’re that bored?”

”Mm, more that my master has a... proposition, so to speak.”

The words ran through him. A- proposition? Mazoku weren’t above lying to get what they wanted, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if this was just something to use him, but- “What kind of proposition?”

Xellos held his hands up. “Don’t sound so wary! It would benefit you.” At these words, he opened one eye, spearing him with his unnatural gaze.

If he didn’t come right out and say it, Zelgadis had a very hard time believing it would be for a cure. And even if he had, it would be difficult to trust he would get the information after they were done using him. “In what way?” he growled, unable to let it go. Even the slightest chance...

A tilt of his head as if listening to something, then Xellos smiled brightly. “How about we talk about this over dinner? It should be... rather enlightening.” He patted Zelgadis’s stone shoulder, feet hitting the ground as he lead the way. “Or at least that’s what my master tells me. Personally, I think it’ll just be rather tasty!”

That was enough. Zelgadis pulled his hand back, letting fire gather in his hand as he shaped one of Lina’s favorite spells. “Flare Arrow!”

As expected, the spell passed through the empty air Xellos used to be in. “My, my,” came his voice from above, only slightly amused. “I would be careful with those. You wouldn’t want to burn the whole place down around you, would you?” Without waiting for an answer, he disappeared with a chuckle, leaving Zelgadis alone with an anger without its proper outlet. Tilting his head back and screaming only helped a little.

Very little.

* * *

It seemed the older he got, the less food he needed. Zelgadis could remember a time shortly after being forced into a chimeric state that he was ravenous, shoving food in at a pace Lina and Gourry would consider excessive. Then slowly, while he still required it, it didn’t cling to him as much as it used to. After a long battle he would keep up with the two, but usually he would eat a small plate and spent the rest of the time with a cup of tea. Considering what spellcasting usually did to a body, as well as the physical activity he put himself through looking for a cure, it surprised him when even the small plate started to be too much.

Surprised, and disturbed him.

A low buzz of energy filled the room. Anticipation, something about to happen. He kept a disinterested gaze around the dining room, ready to leave if they had finally had enough of the blue rocky skinned freak in the corner. The larger cities usually didn’t have a problem with it - they had seen stranger trading goods - but smaller towns like this held onto strange superstitions.

Two large men by the bar stood suddenly, their aggression filling the room, causing Zelgadis to sigh. So it began. Another room wasted. He started to leave his table when one shoved the other. “Don’t you ever call her that!” he growled drunkenly, unbalanced from his own movement.

”I’ll call that bitch whatever I want.” The words were harder to understand, slurred as they were with drink, but as far as he could tell that’s what they were. Zelgadis shook his head, not wanting to stick around for a fight over a girl. There was too high a chance they would see him and move their hatred over to him, uniting them against a common enemy. While he didn’t wish to sleep yet, he did want to escape to his room.

”Humans fight over the silliest things, don’t they?”

The voice next to him made Zelgadis tense and look over. Xellos sat at the table, blithely watching one of the men swing a punch. “What are you doing here?”

”I told you!” The perky voice made him grit his teeth as Xellos looked up at him, smiling. “We were to talk about this over dinner. Quite rude of you to eat first, Zelgadis-san.” He turned his attention back to the fight, and hummed. “But I suppose it can’t be helped. Would you like to take our talk to a more... private location?”

The strange emphasis in his voice made Zelgadis bristle. “I would like for you to go away,” he informed him coolly, moving to slip up the stairs as quietly as possible. The fight would distract anyone from his movements if he went quickly enough.

Anyone but a determined Mazoku, apparently. He could hear the creak of his steps behind him, and the amused presence that could only be Xellos. Finally, just outside his door, he turned and grabbed Xellos’s shirt. “What. Do you. Want?” he growled in his face.

Instead of answering verbally, a gloved hand ran over the rocks embedded in Zelgadis’s face. “A proposal from my master,” he told him softly. “In return for a few... odd jobs, she offers knowledge and this.” Before he could breath a question, Xellos sent a weak spark of dark energy across his skin, sending it aflame in sensation. His fingers shifted gently, the burn arcing down his cheek and making him gasp. Below them, the fight screamed into a pressure around them, loosening Zelgadis’s hands and forcing him to stumble back against the wall. The hand started to lift away, Xellos speaking something inconsequential. But that didn’t matter as Zelgadis pulled him close, senses starting to drown under everything he felt. He could feel the spark of dark energy unfurl deep within him as he held Xellos to him, in and around and under his fingers and he wanted more of it-

Then nothing, his arms empty as he could hear the fight being forced outside. His head buzzed at the feeling, at the memory of almost being stroked from the inside out. Zelgadis looked up through his hair at Xellos, irritation worming its way through him at the calm and amused look. “You don’t have to answer right away,” Xellos told him cheerfully. “But do keep it in mind.”

”What did you do to me?” he gasped, his skin feeling alive for the first time since his transformation. It was starting to fade, but that feeling... what was that? “What kind of proposition was that?”

”You’ll find your own answers in time.” A finger rose, waggling in a very familiar way. “As to what I did, well, that is a secret. I do hope you have an answer for me soon!”

The silence roared in his ears as Xellos disappeared. Zelgadis looked down at the floor, at his hands, at the body that had felt so alive under Xellos’s touch and grabbed for more unthinkingly. He wouldn’t- take on jobs from a Mazoku, even if it gave him answers. Even if they had information he couldn’t find elsewhere. Even if he wanted to grab that priest close and devour every piece of that spark until he was full and shuddering and-

No. Zelgadis stumbled into his room, his legs not quite working yet. He would not work for the Beastmaster, no matter what.

Never.

**Author's Note:**

> Boy, where's your mother? Fall down dead  
> Dirty mind, dirty mouth, pretty little head  
> -Eliza Rickman, “Pretty Little Head,” _O, You Sinners_


End file.
